NEAR House of Stake Conflict of Interest Policy
Article 1 – Purpose
NEAR House of Stake works because Stakeholders align their success with the success of the NEAR ecosystem. When separate interests might pull in a different direction, transparency maintains integrity and legitimacy.
This Policy protects the legitimacy of NEAR House of Stake by establishing principles for identifying, disclosing and managing conflicts of interest.
Article 2 – Scope and Application
Governance Body Members and Endorsed Delegates are bound to this Policy through Constitutional Documents that refer to it with their respective obligations and enforcement mechanisms. Those documents include, but are not limited to:
- NEAR House of Stake Constitution
- NEAR House of Stake Proposals and Voting Procedures
- NEAR House of Stake Screening Committee Charter
- NEAR House of Stake Endorsed Delegates Charter
- NEAR House of Stake Code of Conduct
When evaluating whether another Stakeholder bound to this policy has appropriately identified, disclosed, and managed a Conflict of Interest, apply this framework from their perspective.
Article 3 – Identifying a Conflict of Interest
Core Principle
A Conflict of Interest exists when a Stakeholder stands to gain benefits from a decision that are not proportionally available to other NEAR Stakeholders.
Participation in decisions where a Stakeholder has a Conflict of Interest can undermine the legitimacy of NEAR House of Stake.
Quick Assessment
- Do I stand to gain something that most other Stakeholders do not?
- How much would the benefit influence how I participate, compared with my concern for ecosystem outcomes?
- If other Stakeholders knew about this benefit, would they have reasonable grounds to question whether I'm balancing ecosystem and personal interests appropriately?
If any are "yes" or "uncertain," consider the factors below.
Assessment Factors
When a potential conflict exists, assess its nature and magnitude.
Nature of the benefit:
- Economic (payments, funding, tokens, business value)
- Professional (appointments, relationships, reputation, access)
- Personal (relationships with beneficiaries, project alignment)
Magnitude of the benefit:
- Size of the benefit relative to your circumstances
- Likelihood that you will receive the benefit
- Number of others who will receive a similar benefit
- Period over which you, and the ecosystem, will benefit
Making the judgment
Based on your assessment, ask:
Would this benefit influence my participation in ways that don't serve ecosystem interests?
If yes or uncertain, you have a Conflict of Interest to disclose.
Article 4 – Disclosing a Conflict of Interest
When you have identified a Conflict of Interest, your primary action should be to disclose it.
When to Disclose
Disclose a Conflict of Interest in a decision before participating in that decision, including public or private advocacy, delegation and voting.
If you identify a conflict after you've already participated, disclose immediately and clarify what actions you took before discovery.
When in doubt, disclose. Over-disclosure is preferable to under-disclosure.
What to disclose
- Nature of the benefit (economic, professional, personal)
- Connection between the benefit and the decision
- Magnitude if quantifiable, or context if not
Article 5 – Managing Participation with a Conflict of Interest
After disclosing a Conflict of Interest, only participate in that decision, including public or private advocacy, delegation and voting, in ways that serve rather than harm the decision process.
In making this judgment, consider the following.
Participation may harm the decision process when:
- You stand to gain significant benefits not proportionally shared by other Stakeholders
- Your participation would create reasonable doubt about the decision's legitimacy
Participation may serve the decision process when:
- You stand to gain only benefits that are proportionally shared by other Stakeholders
- You are providing information or expertise that is valuable to the decision process